Share this:

Legislative leaders emerged from another closed-door session with Gov. Andrew Cuomo this morning to announce progress toward a complete state budget, but refused to offer specific information about pieces of the $136.5 billion spending plan that remain in flux.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said the leaders hope by day’s end to set table targets. These figures set spending limits in each program area. Joint legislative committees then hammer out specific policy based thereupon, a process that Silver said would continue today but likely stretch into tomorrow.

“There’s no resolution on anything until there’s a resolution on everything,” said Silver.

Both he and Skelos indicated that the budget would include a version of Cuomo’s proposal to allow municipalities to lock-in pension rates, allowing short-term savings amid a spike in required contributions.

“All of us think it’s important to help our local governments as best as we can,” said Silver.

“The governor feels strongly about that, and that, in the end, will be part of the final package depending on the language,” Skelos, R-Long Island, agreed.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.